Latino Daily News

Building Collapses in Cuba, 3 Killed

Three people died and six others were injured when one of the many dilapidated buildings in Havana collapsed, Cuba’s official media said Wednesday.

The three-story building was declared uninhabitable several years ago, but several families continued to live in the structure, area residents told Efe.

Four of the six people hurt in the collapse were hospitalized, Radio Reloj said.

The building’s third floor gave way shortly after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, one of the residents, 23-year-old Teresa Reve Lopez, told Efe, adding that she barely had time to grab her two young daughters and dash out onto the street.

Authorities have tried several times to clear people from the dilapidated structure, neighbors said.

Cuba, a nation of 11.2 million people, had a housing shortfall of roughly 600,000 units in 2010, partly as a result of the damage caused by three hurricanes that pounded the Communist-ruled island in 2008.

More than half the buildings in Cuba are in disrepair, according to official figures.